Zombie Gunship is a very simple game; you are an aerial gunner in an AC-130 but instead of shooting insurgents in an aerial view very reminiscent of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, you fire at zombies, making the killing and blowing up much more pleasing. This simple concept makes Zombie Gunship a brilliant game because of its original take on the zombie genre. With this offering, Limbic Software has succeeded in creating a brilliant game that is impossible to put down.
What a shot!
In contrast to other zombie games, Zombie Gunship actually takes you out of the action. Don’t worry though, this doesn’t impede your ability to decimate and slaughter zombies; rather, it allows you to do it with a larger amount of destruction, vision and safety. Nevertheless, there is still an element of danger: despite being out of sight, raining hell on ground, you are not entirely invincible.
The objective of the game is to protect civilians running towards the bunker, which is seen as a safe haven from the zombies. However, if you kill three civilians or allow the bunker to be penetrated by the overwhelming amount of zombies you will be called out of the area and the mission ends. As an aerial gunner in game this strict rule of only three civilian deaths makes you feel more responsible for the lives of the people on the ground; it also restricts you from going haywire with the fire button.
Zombie Gunship further gives you the illusion of being an aerial gunner on an AC-130, with the realistic white and black grainy visuals, the convincing noises of the AC-130, gunfire, reloading of the gun, radio intercom and crackling. Even the physics is realistic as the round fired takes a while to hit the ground (this can be sped up by an upgrade). These graphics and noises make Zombie Gunship a lively, realistic game, even though all you do is touch and drag to aim and push the fire button to fire.
In order to help you achieve your objective Limbic Software has put at your disposal is a 25mm Gatling gun for precise and accurate shots, a 40mm Bofors gun for mid-range firepower and a single 150mm Howitzer the most powerful and devastating explosion. These weapons can be improved by coins earned after the missions or bought with real currency to make it easier to slaughter the zombies. Features you can improve with your coins earned differs from each gun, but generally you can improve how fast the bullet reaches the ground, ramp up the reloading speed and much more. By using your weapons correctly alongside the improved features you can increase your destructive power or your chances of survival.
My only complaint is that the game only includes two maps and no other game modes. Also Zombie Gunship would have been more gripping if it allowed you to annihilate zombies with your friends or included a story to explain what is happening in the game. Nonetheless Zombie Gunship is a brilliant, original and lifelike game in contrast to other zombie titles.
Zombie Gunship is available for iOS and Android devices.
Elton CAS
